arXiv subjects

Shaun

Publications and source records attributed to Shaun.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Capturing Smile Dynamics with the Quintic Volatility Model: SPX, Skew-Stickiness Ratio and VIX

We introduce the two-factor Quintic Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (OU) model, where volatility is modelled as a degree-five polynomial of the sum of two Ornstein-Uhlenbeck processes driven by the same Brownian motion, each mean-reverting at a different speed. We demonstrate that the model effectively captures the volatility surfaces of SPX and VIX while aligning with the skew-stickiness ratio (SSR) across maturities ranging from a few days to over two years. Furthermore, it is consistent with key empirical stylized facts, notably reproducing the Zumbach effect.

q-fin.MF↗

arXiv2024

Fourier-Laplace transforms in polynomial Ornstein-Uhlenbeck volatility models

We consider the Fourier-Laplace transforms of a broad class of polynomial Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (OU) volatility models, including the well-known Stein-Stein, Sch\"obel-Zhu, one-factor Bergomi, and the recently introduced Quintic OU models motivated by the SPX-VIX joint calibration problem. We show the connection between the joint Fourier-Laplace functional of the log-price and the integrated variance, and the solution of an infinite dimensional Riccati equation. Next, under some non-vanishing conditions of the Fourier-Laplace transforms, we establish an existence result for such Riccati equation and we provide a discretized approximation of the joint characteristic functional that is exponentially entire. On the practical side, we develop a numerical scheme to solve the stiff infinite dimensional Riccati equations and demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the scheme for pricing SPX options and volatility swaps using Fourier and Laplace inversions, with specific examples of the Quintic OU and the one-factor Bergomi models and their calibration to real market data.

q-fin.MF↗

arXiv2024

Volatility models in practice: Rough, Path-dependent or Markovian?

We present an empirical study examining several claims related to option prices in rough volatility literature using SPX options data. Our results show that rough volatility models with the parameter $H \in (0,1/2)$ are inconsistent with the global shape of SPX smiles. In particular, the at-the-money SPX skew is incompatible with the power-law shape generated by these models, which increases too fast for short maturities and decays too slowly for longer maturities. For maturities between one week and three months, rough volatility models underperform one-factor Markovian models with the same number of parameters. When extended to longer maturities, rough volatility models do not consistently outperform one-factor Markovian models. Our study identifies a non-rough path-dependent model and a two-factor Markovian model that outperform their rough counterparts in capturing SPX smiles between one week and three years, with only 3 to 4 parameters.

q-fin.MF↗

arXiv2022

The quintic Ornstein-Uhlenbeck volatility model that jointly calibrates SPX & VIX smiles

The quintic Ornstein-Uhlenbeck volatility model is a stochastic volatility model where the volatility process is a polynomial function of degree five of a single Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process with fast mean reversion and large vol-of-vol. The model is able to achieve remarkable joint fits of the SPX-VIX smiles with only 6 effective parameters and an input curve that allows to match certain term structures. We provide several practical specifications of the input curve, study their impact on the joint calibration problem and consider additionally time-dependent parameters to help achieve better fits for longer maturities going beyond 1 year. Even better, the model remains very simple and tractable for pricing and calibration: the VIX squared is again polynomial in the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process, leading to efficient VIX derivative pricing by a simple integration against a Gaussian density; simulation of the volatility process is exact; and pricing SPX products derivatives can be done efficiently and accurately by standard Monte Carlo techniques with suitable antithetic and control variates.

q-fin.MF↗

arXiv2022

Joint SPX-VIX calibration with Gaussian polynomial volatility models: deep pricing with quantization hints

We consider the joint SPX-VIX calibration within a general class of Gaussian polynomial volatility models in which the volatility of the SPX is assumed to be a polynomial function of a Gaussian Volterra process defined as a stochastic convolution between a kernel and a Brownian motion. By performing joint calibration to daily SPX-VIX implied volatility surface data between 2012 and 2022, we compare the empirical performance of different kernels and their associated Markovian and non-Markovian models, such as rough and non-rough path-dependent volatility models. In order to ensure an efficient calibration and a fair comparison between the models, we develop a generic unified method in our class of models for fast and accurate pricing of SPX and VIX derivatives based on functional quantization and Neural Networks. For the first time, we identify a \textit{conventional one-factor Markovian continuous stochastic volatility model} that is able to achieve remarkable fits of the implied volatility surfaces of the SPX and VIX together with the term structure of VIX futures. What is even more remarkable is that our conventional one-factor Markovian continuous stochastic volatility model outperforms, in all market conditions, its rough and non-rough path-dependent counterparts with the same number of parameters.

q-fin.MF↗